Dissident IRA threaten Detective Adrian Donohue’s murder suspect

A man suspected of involvement in the murder of Detective Adrian Donohoe has been warned by police that his life is in danger.

The Sunday Times reports that the suspect received an Osman warning, a notice to a member of the public that police have learnt of a credible threat to their life, on Friday night after he arrived at a Co Armagh police station to sign on as part of his bail conditions.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) formally warned the suspect that they had obtained confidential information suggesting his life was under threat. While the source of the information was not disclosed, it is thought to have come from republican dissidents operating in the area.

Security sources believe that some of the organized crime gangs and dissident paramilitaries in the area, who generate tens of millions of euros from smuggling rackets in the border region, are blaming those suspected of the Donohoe murder for causing increased levels of police activity in the area and disrupting their illegal activities.

The suspect is one of five people thought to have been involved in Det Donohoe's murder at the Lordship Credit Union in Co Louth over a week ago. The investigation into the murder is currently focused on a gang of criminals, aged between 20 and 30, from north Louth and south Armagh. Intelligence on the gang has suggested that some of them may be panicking, with at least one telling his friend of his regret about the killing.

“Arrests are not imminent but there is a good deal of information coming in. We are confident of solving this murder, but it’s going to be a painstaking investigation,” said a source close to the investigation.